New York on a budget

Best free attractions

New York's public squares and parks do more for a visitor's day than most ticketed attractions, and this list is built from them. Three of the twelve are National Historic Landmarks: Central Park, Union Square and the New York Botanical Garden, with dates running from Bryant Park's 1842 to the High Line's 2009, so a single walking day can cover most of the city's public history. The list covers four boroughs: most entries are Manhattan squares, with Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, Prospect Park in Brooklyn and the botanical garden in the Bronx making up the rest. It is for visitors who would rather walk than queue, and who think a bench in the right square counts as an itinerary. Two entries are gardens with their own gates and calendars, so check their official sites before you set out. Comfortable shoes and a tolerance for crowds are all the rest require.